World Week!

This week has been World Week! 

We have completed so many different activities over the week, Year 1 have been very busy!

On Monday it was Spirituality Day! As part of World Week, where we celebrate our differences and similarities across the world, we come together as a school to remember the importance of prayer and action. All of us have the power to help the world be a better place. Spirituality Day is all about how we can connect with God, through our faith and care for this creation and all of the people and creatures within it. We can connect with God in many ways; through our thoughts, words, actions and prayers.

Year 1 focused on the Catholic Social Teaching strand of Care for Creation,. As a class we were looking at the continent of Antarctica and considering how our actions can damage the environment. Year 1 learnt about how pollution is heating up the Earth which causes ice in the Arctic to melt. Year 1 met a new friend – Patoriki the Penguin! We thought about what we could do to help combat global warming, so animals such as Patoriki can remain safely in their homes.

On Tuesday Year 1 met Holistic Therapist, Amy Brooks, who delivered class breathing workshops for the whole school. We focused on the importance of slow, calm, deep breathing, and how it can help us relax, manage stress, relieve anxiety, and get a good night’s sleep, among many other things. Breathing also helps quiet the mind in preparation for prayer. It is a useful tool and life strategy for supporting our mental health.

On Wednesday it was Safer Internet Day! We came together as a school to think and talk about the importance of staying safe online. Safer Internet Day is held every February all around the world. It is a chance to think about any worries we might have about using technology and the internet, but it’s also about celebrating all the fantastic things technology can help us with. During assembly, we thought about how much the internet has changed over time, and how we must speak to a trusted adult about our thoughts and concerns about the internet and our devices. We also welcomed in Iris from MIND who led  workshops with Years 1, 2 and 3 about kindness and kindness online.

On Thursday, as part of World Week and Children’s Mental Health Week, we focused on kindness and how we can support those around us. We remembered that every child has the right to express their views, feelings and wishes in all matters affecting them, and to have their views considered and taken seriously. We played games in class that showed us the importance of telling the truth, and how things we say about others can affect their thoughts and feelings.

Today is International Day within our school. Everyone has come to school in traditional clothes, colours or flags to represent where they and their family are from. This is an excellent way to celebrate our diverse population, and how we are all special and unique! We are all made in God’s image and we come from many places around the world. Many children from Year 1 performed in the International Assembly infront of the whole school and many many parents. This was such a special treat and they all made our class very proud.

World Week has been such a great week, and we have really enjoyed thinking deeper about God’s world and how we need to take care of it, ourselves and those around us.